Abe Deutschendorf Explained

Abe Deutschendorf
State House:Oklahoma
District:62nd
Term Start:1994
Term End:2006
Birth Date:12 February 1935
Successor:T.W. Shannon
Constituency:Lawton, Oklahoma
Party:Democratic
Occupation:educator, politician

Abe Deutschendorf (February 12, 1935  - December 23, 2012)[1] was an American politician who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1994 to 2006, as a Democrat representing the Lawton area in District 62. Deutschendorf was author of the first law [2] giving Oklahomans free access to proposed legislation via the Internet. He was required to vacate his seat in 2006 because of the term limits law.

Before his legislative tenure, he was a longtime educator, serving as the first principal of Eisenhower Junior High School in Lawton. He also served as teacher, coach, counselor and assistant principal at the same school for a total of 25 years.

He was also an uncle of singer John Denver. The singer's birth name was Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.[3]

Deutschendorf died on December 23, 2012.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Abe Deutschendorf passes at 77.
  2. Web site: Free Access Needed to Bills On Internet, Legislator Says . NewsOK.com . 1998-02-08 . 2014-06-02.
  3. Web site: Former Oklahoma lawmaker Abe Deutschendorf dies at 77 . NewsOK.com . 1999-02-22 . 2012-12-27.